Glory went into the match with a four-point lead atop the A-League table, having scored the most goals so far this season. However on the evidence of the first-half, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was the Phoenix doing the pace setting this season. And the Nix got their just rewards, taking a one-goal advantage into the break courtesy of Roy Krishna.

Tony Popovic turned to Spanish star Diego Castro to inspire his side, with Mark Rudan opting to introduce Ryan Lowry into the game to man-mark Castro and stifle his creative influence. Rudan’s clever tactic was shattered when Lowry was shown a straight red-card via the intervention of the VAR, after he made two-footed contact with Chris Ikonimidis.

With just 10-men on the pitch and far too many topless pasty-white Nix fans in the stands, Wellington survived a 15-minute Glory onslaught to hold on to a vital point against the league-leaders.

     Pic Special: Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory     

Wellington Phoenix

Filip Kurto - 7

Didn’t have much work to do before being stretchered off after an unfortunate clash with Andy Keogh in the 15th minute.

Liberato Cacace - 7

Laid a goal-saving tackle early-on as Franjic prepared to unleash a shot at goal. Despite his eye-catching name, Cacace was anonymous for most of the 90 minutes.

Andrew Durante - 9

A huge performance from the captain. Durante was a ball magnet at the heart of defence, utilizing all of his experience to maintain possession rather than boot the ball forward at every opportunity.

Steven Taylor - 8

Commanded the backline perfectly, despite the Glory onslaught following the controversial red card to Ryan Lowry.

Louis Fenton - 7

Put in a good shift on the right flank. Not the most talented winger in the league but Rudan will be pleased with his attacking efforts.

Michal Kopczynski - 8

Pivotal in a Phoenix defensive unit that stifled the Glory attack for the majority of the game.

Mandi - 8.5

Despite seriously lacking pace, it’s clear that Mandi plays a metronomic role in keeping the ball moving for the Phoenix, supplying it to the dynamic Nix attackers.

Alex Rufer - 7

Part of the Phoenix front half that pressured the Glory with great effect, played a squad role without showing too much technical quality.

Sarpreet Singh - 8

Showed great skill with and without the ball, and provided an important outlet in the final 10 minutes as the Glory pressed for a winner against the 10-man Nix.

Roy Krishna - 9

Finished neatly to become Wellington’s all-time goal scorer, taking that mantle off of Paul Ifill. The Fijian was influential in most Nix attacks, and linked with Burns beautifully all game.

Nathan Burns - 8.5

Despite fluffing a huge early chance, Burns linked up with his teammates superbly, often dropping deep to collect the ball from Mandi Sosa before laying it off and charging forward to receive it again.

SUBS:

Reuben Way - 7

Made his A-League debut following the sending off of Ryan Lowry. Introduced for Nathan Burns in the 78th minute. Laid a pivotal robust challenge in injury time, before blocking an Ikonimidis shot just seconds later.

Ryan Lowry - N/A

Introduced by mark Rudan in the 71st minute, coming up against his brother Shane. VAR awarded Lowry a seemingly harsh red card for an innocuous tackle on Chris Ikonimidis late in the game.

Oliver Sail - 7

Unexpectedly called upon after Kurto’s 14th minute head knock in a 50/50 contest with Andy Keogh. Sail was sometimes over-eager to come off his line, however there were no major repercussions on this occasion.

Perth Glory

Liam Reddy - 8

Made some pivotal saves and was not at fault for the Phoenix goal.

Dino Djulbic - 7

Lack of pace exposed by the speed and skill of the Phoenix attackers, but made no major mistakes and was certainly not to blame for the poor Glory performance.

Shane Lowry - 7

Like the two centre-halves to his left and right, Lowry’s lack of speed was again exploited by the Phoenix speedsters in Krishna and Singh.

Tomislav Mrcela - 6.5

Not his best performance, however the Croat defended decently to keep Wellington to just one goal all game.

Jason Davidson - 6

Lucky not to give away a penalty for holding Louis Fenton in the first half. Missed a golden opportunity to grab the three-points and score his first Glory goal in the 89th minute, blazing high and wide from just a few yards out.

Neil Kilkenny - 7

Delivered well from the set-pieces, and screened the back-four well despite Phoenix dominating possession for the majority of the match.

Brandon Wilson - 5

Had little to no influence on the game, replaced by young-gun Jake Brimmer in the 57th minute.

Ivan Franjic - 6

Started the match well but faded as the game went on. Looked frustrated with his teammates and their inability to gel going forward.

Joel Chianese - 6

Flew under the radar for the majority of the match and was not involved in any significant attacking moments for Glory. Substituted for Diego Castro in the 65th minute.

Andy Keogh - 5

Isolated for most of the match. Could have taken a leaf out of Burns’ book and dropped deeper to receive the ball, but insisted on staying up-top. Keogh was involved in the incident that left Kurto on a stretcher, but was not at fault.

Chris Ikonimidis - 9

Tried hard all game despite the Glory’s ineptitude in attack. The Socceroos bolter was instrumental in setting up the Glory’s equalizer, slipping past two defenders and playing a perfect ball through to Castro.

SUBS:

Jake Brimmer - 6

Unable to influence the match, and wasted precious possession by blazing well over the bar from 35 yards out deep in injury time.

Diego Castro - 7.5

Brought much needed skill and passing quality to a Perth side that didn’t manage an attempt on goal until the Spaniard’s introduction. Scored the Glory’s equalizer, albeit through the legs of both the defender and the goalkeeper.

Brendon Santalab - N/A

Did not have enough time to assert any influence on the match.